Samsung N210

The Samsung N210 ($380 street) is not the flashiest netbook, nor does it pile on the most features in its category. Nailing down basic fundamentals is what makes it a viable contender in this cutthroat market. It maintains an excellent user experience, which includes a comfy keyboard, a big-enough touchpad and mouse buttons. Its decent performance scores and attractive pricing are surefire ways to build a strong fan base

Samsung Electronics

http://www.samsung.com

• Price as Tested: $380.00 Street
• Type: General Purpose, Ultraportable, Value, Netbook
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Processor Name: Intel Atom N450
• Processor Speed: 1.66 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Weight: 2.9 lb
• Screen Size: 10.1 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA 3150
• Storage Capacity: 250 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: External

Sony VAIO VPC-F1190X

Sony has given up on its 18.4-inch media center—the AW series—as demand for it has weakened and customers are having a tough time find room such a colossal laptop. But a successor has already been chosen: the Sony VAIO VPC-F1190X ($1,645 direct). This laptop isn't nearly as large as its predecessor, but it's just as powerful, if not more. Indeed, the sum of all its parts—a quad-core Core i7 processor, 4GB of DDR3 memory (upgradeable to 8GB), and discrete Nvidia graphics—is more powerful than any current or past Sony laptop. It even features a new wireless technology developed by Sony, called TransferJet.

Sony Corporation

http://www.sonystyle.com

• Price as Tested: $1,645.00 Direct
• Type: Gaming, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core i7-820QM
• Processor Speed: 1.73 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 6.5 lb
• Screen Size: 16.4 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GT 330M
• Storage Capacity: 500 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW DL with Blu-Ray

Dell Inspiron i1764-7629OBK

With all the netbooks flooding the market these days, you could be forgiven for thinking that computer makers aren't selling big-screen multimedia notebooks any more. The truth is that they are, and you'll find a lot of value in this sector of the laptop market. Consider, for instance, the Dell Inspiron i1764-7629OBK ($798 list), available from Wal-Mart. It's a well-balanced configuration of Dell's Inspiron 1764 that can deftly handle photo and video editing, not to mention most any everyday application you throw at it. The weak link, as with many budget laptops, lies in its integrated graphics.

Dell, Inc.

http://www.dell.com

• Price as Tested: $798.00 List
• Type: General Purpose, Media
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core i3 330M
• Processor Speed: 2.13 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 6.2 lb
• Screen Size: 17.3 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA HD
• Storage Capacity: 500 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11g
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Dell Adamo XPS

There's thin, and then there's thin. The Dell Adamo XPS ($2,000 street) takes the concept to another level as Dell's thinnest ultraportable. At 9.99mm, the Adamo XPS is so thin that it makes the claims of the original Adamo ($2,000 direct, ) and Apple MacBook Air ($1,799 direct, ) almost laughable. In the end, though, that's all it is—a system of unquestionable style, with a very minimalist approach to performance and features.

Dell, Inc.

http://www.dell.com

• Price as Tested: $2,000.00 Street
• Type: General Purpose, Media, Ultraportable
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo U9400
• Processor Speed: 1.4 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 3.4 lb
• Screen Size: 13.4 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Storage Capacity: 128 GB
• SSD Memory: Yes
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: External

Dell Adamo XPS

There's thin, and then there's thin. The Dell Adamo XPS ($2,000 street) takes the concept to another level as Dell's thinnest ultraportable. At 9.99mm, the Adamo XPS is so thin that it makes the claims of the original Adamo ($2,000 direct, ) and Apple MacBook Air ($1,799 direct, ) almost laughable. In the end, though, that's all it is—a system of unquestionable style, with a very minimalist approach to performance and features.

Dell, Inc.

http://www.dell.com

• Price as Tested: $2,000.00 Street
• Type: General Purpose, Media, Ultraportable
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo U9400
• Processor Speed: 1.4 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 3.4 lb
• Screen Size: 13.4 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD
• Storage Capacity: 128 GB
• SSD Memory: Yes
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: External

Dell Inspiron Mini 10s (HD)

After retiring the 9-inch and 12-inch Inspiron Mini netbooks, Dell concentrated on building the best possible 10-inch netbook. The Inspiron Mini 10s (HD) ($425 direct) is one of many Mini 10 configurations that can be customized with different colors, a host of features, and processor options (These models are also known as the Mini 1012). This particular model comes with an embedded Broadcom HD decoder chip (for HD playback), a 1,366-by-768 resolution, and mobile broadband, making it one of maybe two netbooks—the other is the HP Mini 5102 ($400 direct, )—that piles on this many features. The only thing that plagues this netbook (and every other Mini 10 configuration) is that dreaded touchpad with the integrated mouse buttons; the irritating navigating experience is hard to get past.

Dell, Inc.

http://www.dell.com

• Price as Tested: $425.00 Direct
• Type: General Purpose, Ultraportable, Value, Netbook
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Starter Edition
• Processor Name: Intel Atom N450
• Processor Speed: 1.66 GHz
• RAM: 1 GB
• Weight: 3.1 lb
• Screen Size: 10.1 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA 3150
• Storage Capacity: 250 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11a/g
• Primary Optical Drive: External